Roll For It
by xyzaniainfinity
Summary: It's just another babysitting job for Carly. That is, until she meets Annabelle Lennox… and suddenly it's fat bunnies, abductions, alien robots and intergalactic wars.
1. Starts and Stops

Ratings: T  
Category(ies): Adventure  
Continuity: G1/Movieverse AU  
Summary: It's just another babysitting job for Carly. That is, until she meets Annabelle Lennox… and suddenly things are not as they seem.

**Title: ROLL FOR IT**

_Disclaimer: Everybody wishes they own Transformers. But alas, only Primus can claim it. Otherwise known as Hasbro.  
_

_Starts and Stops_

The phone rang just as I was heading downstairs to breakfast.

This time, though the call was for me and it was the voice of Mrs. Lennox.

Which was a surprise since this is the first time I'd actually heard her in a while.

I'd only met Sarah Lennox briefly only several months ago. Back when my friends were helping me find part time jobs after school. I was supposed to babysit for the Lennoxes' only daughter, five-year old Annabelle Lennox. Until her husband Will was shipped off to Quatar. Sarah chose to work at a part time job so she could spend more time with her daughter . I couldn't blame her for it. Family bonding was important particularly when a loved one was overseas.

Now it looked like I was finally going to meet little Annabelle Lennox in person.

Sarah is the exactly the sort of mother you'd like to hear. She's not demanding over the phone. Or overly polite.

"Good morning, Carly," Sarah greeted, "…Sorry did I wake you up?"

"No, I'm up, Mrs. Lennox, " I answered. I've been spoiled rotten by extra free time I had since school. Free time that has since by jacked by my parents looking to make me into a more "productive citizen".

"I've been up since dawn this morning, " Sarah replied with a half-chuckle, " Which is exactly why I have to ask you, Carly. Are you free to watch Annabelle this weekend and maybe for the next three weekends?"

How else could say no? I wasn't really doing anything else…yet. My college application papers were just lying around my desk. I just couldn't make myself come to a decision. Somewhere inside me, I know what the real reason is.

The real reason for my delay in going to college is to keep myself from going back to study, I mean college. There. I admit it.

Seriously, who wants to go back of the land of books, endless quizzes, exams and over-bearing teachers? Okay, maybe college isn't going to be all that annoying like High School. But it's still School.

Of course, as soon as I said yes, Sarah laid out this time frame of where and when they were going to be at those times. It seems as if the Lennoxes had become slightly more involved with military-related events lately. They were going to Washington and attend a Gala for Military Spouses at the same time. Maybe it all had to do with Will's impending promotion. Only this much I knew from the news. Sarah didn't say anything else.

I started my jotting down my own list of things in return. I asked Sarah or should I say Mrs Lennox, some personal questions about Annnabelle. Aside from the standard query regarding food allegies, I had to know her favorites. Her favorite color, her favorite food, hobbies and of course, her favorite toys.

"She's got her room with her toys, Barbie and her favorite pony Sparkle," said Sarah, " You're welcome to make a little lemonade or smoothie if she wants. And oh! On some nights, she might ask to sleep in our truck,"

I did a slight double take. Whoever heard of a kid preferring to sleep in a truck at night? But then there are kids who do love riding in cars and trucks.

"She loves riding in that truck as much her Dad does, "Sarah added, as if reading my thoughts. Bingo. "It's sort of prized possession for Will, ya know? "

Duh. Guys and their trucks. Anyway, this is the first time I've heard of a kid sleeping in the truck at night rather than hugging My Little Pony to sleep. As a kid, I preferred hugging Care Bears, Teddy Bears and one grey Rabbit.

I bid Sarah a "See ya soon, Mrs. Lennox," once she hung up. I still can't get over calling her Sarah or Mrs. Lennox to her face. Mrs. Lennox sounds just too formal now for even my thoughts. I guess I can officially start calling her Sarah once I see her again.

Now I'm back to seconds of lost in thought. Where was I? I almost missed breakfast.

My stomach is obviously still grumbling for breakfast so I busied myself with the breakfast prep. I had blueberry pancakes in mind and I got all that bubbling on the griddle. Then I turned to the coffee maker.

Only there was one problem. The coffee maker seemed to be broken. Really broken this time.

Sigh. I had to pull out the plug. Plug it back in. Run the coffee maker again and watch the darn thing fill up with water. The filter for some reason, isn't working as it used to be.

Meanwhile, my blueberry pancakes needed attention.

Dad should have warned me about this last night since we're the only two caffeinated people in the house. He's handy with minute fixings. But I can't exactly rely on him nowadays what him leaving so early for his Bakersfield jobs.

He must have been getting his café cravings from the coffee shops. Which left me with the same option.

My poor blueberry pancakes.

I guess I could eat them now or save them for later and head for a coffee run.

Looking out of the window, I was suddenly reminded of my overall not being a bum schedule of the day. I headed back upstairs to change. Swiped the keys and carried out our laundry.

Yay. Carly, the responsible home maker.

_Tranquility, Nevada shopping plaza._

So it is a glorious sunny day for once.

But seriously? I'm the only prim-looking prickly faced youth hanging outside of Starbucks?

I do see a lot of faces. Middle-aged faces and some not so middle-aged ones. Parents, a couple of kids and a couple of hot-shot looking guys lurking around.

I guess the mass exodus is pointing straight to the mall and the shops. Where everything is. For a Price.

As I was gathering my stuff from the table and thinking of heading back in for Venti to go, who else do I spot pulling into a space in one of the lots across from Starbucks than the Star of Tranquility High, Sam Witwicky himself?

Sam was crossing straight in my direction or at least I thought he was. Maybe he was heading for the Frozen Yogurt Shack (way too early for me) or the Coin Laundry, . I quickly waved and called out to him, "Sam! Hey Sam!"

I've only known Sam Witwicky in Highschool. I guess you can tell I'm not exactly describing him to be the Star of the School as people might to think. But he is a Star in his own way, I guess. I'm not trying to be mean here.

I mean, if you could just see him. He's not exactly average-looking nor ugly. Maybe too average looking is more fitting. He's a little scrawny, a little nerdy in his ways. Sometimes he can even be a little clumsy. But I know he's got a heart. Which is why we got to be friends though we don't exactly hang out that often.

He's the kind of guy who gets tossed in school lockers by the school jocks and bullies. He did, in fact, get shut into a locker once. I remember the day I ran into him with all the other guys standing around exchanging grins. A sheepish Sam explained to me what happened after gym class. The absurdity of High School.

The Sam that was standing before me now seemed slightly different. No, he hasn't grown muscles or anything. But he carried himself with an air of confidence.

"Hey, Carly, "

"How's the Stanford scholar going?" I half-joked. It was as if it was only yesterday that Sam broke the news of his somewhat astounding GPA (His tutoring paid off a lot, obviously) and the fact that he was going to Stanford. Stanford! I was probably the only one without a mouth agape and jealous looks. But that was only because I wasn't really enamored with stuffy Ivy League universities.

"I'm good to go, really, " Sam replied rather enthusiastically, "Except my mom. You know her. Spends half the time drying her eyes as Dad takes out my entire shelf! He's been itching to throw me out. Going to make my bedroom over as a home theater,"

I raised my eyebrows. " A home theater, really?"

"Nah. Don't think so. At least I hope not!" I wanted to laugh at Sam's somewhat incredulous expression . Mr Witwicky has a fetish for over-decorating and maintenance. So things like this seem like a not so good joke or a half-truth.

"Anyway, they'll be gone for a month after school starts, " This time Sam looked at me.

" Hey, aren't you planning to Harvard or MIT something? I can give you pointers,"

"Forget it, Sam. I'm not going even if I could. Not this year, anyway. I want to spend my days lounging off the California coast for the summer,"

"Yep. I can see you jogging around the beach in your short wraps and a coffee cup, " Sam joked.

I looked down at my clothes. I wasn't even wearing one. I swatted at him playfully.

"I need to go take our laundry next door, " I said," It 's been bad luck at home lately, first the washing machine breaks then the coffee maker. I think our stuff knows Carly's home and they're making it hard for me,"

"Gotta get B-, some, some of those waxes for the Camaro, " Knowing Sam's car, I would be getting the most expensive turtlewax I could afford if I was him. "and Dad's been wanting new shears,"

I gave an audible sigh. " Okay, enjoy your college life, Sam. Have all the frat parties you like. All the bimbos and bikinis. While I enjoy picnics, pooside parties, barbecues,"

"and tea parties, " I added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun, " Sam grinned. "Guess I could come to one if you'd invite me. Then I could invite you over to a night down at Stanford, " I stuck my tongue out and he scampered away before I could retaliate further. "See ya!"

I headed towards the lot where I parked my own car. The Civic I'm driving is a hand me down from Dad since he got his work van. I couldn't help but notice that somehow Sam's Camaro, still looking brand-spanking new is only a few cars away from mine. So I made way for a closer look.

The gorgeous Camaro is way too shiny new to stand out. In a sea of automobiles, you think of all the Fords, Hondas, Hyundais and a Jeep. Sam's car is already almost a year old and yet it's easy to understand why anyone couldn't let it scratch nor fade. It's just not forgivable to leave it alone like that.

"Flashy, " I said out loud. I was almost afraid to touch it. It really looked a lot like the model cars you see in magazines. I couldn't help but think of how much Sam's rich Uncle had to pay for it. Or maybe he was an avid car collector. Still a dime dozen.

Wait… Didn't Sam say he actually traded in the older Camaro for this one? I can still see the old '70s Camaro in my mind. That was the one his rather cheapwad Dad got him at a used car lot. For some reason, it broke down after a day and according to Sam, it was his Uncle who finally agreed to help him get a newer model.

Whatever. Still is one flashy of a sports car. I run my hand across the hood gently, careful not to smudge it. It's a miracle Sam's managed to keep it dent and scratch free. "Hope Sam doesn't get this all banged up, " I muttered. Not only would that be a pity but the repairs alone would probably cost Sam half of his tuition fees at Stanford.

I could have sworn the car gave a slight shudder.

A/N: This is an edited chapter. Just some really minor changes.


	2. The Figure That Roared

_Disclaimer: I own nothing Transformers related. Though I wish I did. Everything here real or reel is for the purpose of non-profit entertainment.  
_

_The Figure that Roared_

_Saturday in Tranquilty_

Sarah asked me to bring donuts at the last minute since Annabelle asked for them.

The Frosted mini donuts. To be specific. The same ones you can get at the store. Kids obviously like them. But I thought Annabelle was on some sort of healthy diet? The first time I met Sarah she mentioned having a family doctor who was, well, a little strict on the dietary guidelines.

Don't be surprised if Annabelle eats broccoli, she said. She still eats junk food but she's not fussy on vegetables.

So Annabelle's probably just getting an occasional treat. At least that made meal plans easier.

So I pulled up to the Lennoxe's home, filled with the usual anticipation and a little worry. I've babysat for a lot of kids before in my neighborhood. I've encountered fussy kids, kids with some sort of ADD to the sweetest ones who'd agree to anything. All you need are some coloring pads or a blank sheet, markers and crayons.

I was hoping Annabelle wouldn't turn out like little Austin, who was four when I sat for him in junior year. His favorite meal was supposed to be mac and cheese. Nobody mentioned that his favorite platter was his babysitter's shirt.

Thankfully, Annabelle sounds like a more well-adjusted kid than Austin or the ADD kids.

The Lennoxe's garage was open and in it sat a gleaming black truck. A slightly built and tanned guy was leaning in to the truck's passenger door window. I guessed someone was still sitting inside the truck. As I walked up with the donuts and my bag over the shoulder, he looked up, whispered something to the passenger then came striding towards me.

"Hey," said the guy, smiling. "You must be Carly. My wife Sarah said you were coming. Just call me Will," He struck out a handshake.

Will? The Lennoxe's were starting to feel like my next-door neighbors already. "Nice to meet you, M- Will," I shifted the box of donuts on one hand.

"Here, I'll take it, " Mr. Lennox, I mean Will led me towards the garage. " Annie 's in the yard with her pets. She's really excited to – Aaron!"

He was a big, burly man compared to Will that stepped out of the truck. I was so surprised for a minute when the truck door suddenly swung open so close to us. I found myself staring at a pair of heavy, deep blue eyes. He wasn't smiling but didn't seem unfriendly.

"Carly, this is my, ah, brother Aaron,"

"Uhm. Nice to meet you, Aaron, " I murmured.

"Nice to meet you too, " He replied gruffly.

"Carly's babysitting Annie for a couple weeks, Aaron, " Will said somewhat hurriedly. " So everything's settled and that's that,"

The pair of blue eyes settled on me. It was a little unnerving. "There's nothing to worry about. I'll be around if you need anything,"

Huh? Well, okay. I followed Will into the house from the garage doorway. Once I found myself looking around the Lennoxe's comfy family room. There was a small rocking chair off to the side, a widescreen TV and no carpeting.

"Sarah? Annie? Carly's here,"

As if on cue, Sarah Lennox came into view. For once she didn't look like the housewife I met months ago. Dressed in jeans and a clean collared shirt, she looked like she was going somewhere casual but important.

And right behind Sarah came a soft skittering noise, a small circular disc smoothly zooming across the floor.

Ooh. roomba the vaccum cleaner!

Sarah and Will must have noticed my delighted expression. They both exchanged knowing smiles. "That's a Roomba. The robot vacuum cleaner you see on TV,"

"Yeah, " I was grinning in spite of myself. "Must be really handy,"

''ROLLER!" came a girl's high-pitched voice. I knew that had to be Annabelle.

The little girl that appeared was definitely Annabelle and an adorable mix of her parents. She had all of Sarah's dark brown hair capped by a sparkly hairband and Will's eyes . She stopped short at the sight of me, though, looking down at the Roomba and back to me again.

"Hi Annabelle. I'm Carly," I smiled at her gently " Your Mom tells me you like smoothies too. Guess what? We can make smoothies today if you like,"

Annabelle looked up at me with her bright, dark eyes.

"Annie, sweetheart, why don't you show Carly Mr. Pig in the garden? "Will suggested. He mouthed something to me that sounded like pets.

"Mr Pig? You got a pig in the garden? Can I see him?" I asked Annabelle playfully as Will excused himself.

"He's a not a pig, he's a bunny, " Annabelle giggled. "We call him Mr. Pig cause he's fat!"

"He is kinda fatso, " said Sarah mirthfully. "But I don't think it's fat. He was like that when we got him because Annie wanted a pet for Christmas and the Doctor advised against dogs,"

Advise against dogs. Hmm. So Annabelle is allergic to fur or something? Sarah insisted on getting snacks ready in the kitchen and with Annabelle skipping all the way behind us, I followed with the roomba close behind.

Annabelle promptly sat at the small kitchen table as I offered to help Sarah with the snacks. I poured out the fresh lemonade and Sarah started to repeat the instructions she said over the phone while she served bitesize chicken tacos.

There was a bright yellow note on the fridge door that Sarah pointed out. It was a list of all the numbers I had to contact in case of emergencies. 911. That much was helpful. But there was another number right next to it that said - _Failure to contact Sarah/Will - 1711 Aaron's cell._

That had me stumped for a while. Annabelle's Uncle most likely lived in the neighborhood or not too far away. It seemed to make sense if he was close family member yet at the same it didn't. If Annabelle was ever in critical condition (and I would do all in my power to keep her safe), I would be calling 911 first before texting or calling Aaron. Whether I got hold of Sarah and Will or not.

My babysitting charges are a first priority.

Will entered the kitchen soon enough. "We're all set, Sarah. Aaron's dropping us off," Will turned to me then. "He'll be back by evening to leave the truck. Around 6 or 7,"

I nodded. I always appreciate it when parents inform me of details like that. I tend to get jumpy or suspicious at the sudden noises.

Annabelle sprang off her seat and clung to Will's hip. " Don't forget my so-sovaneer!"

"Another one?" Will grinned at his daughter. "Didn't the Doc get you some pretty shells from Waikiki beach last time? I'll try, sweetheart, but we ain't going to a picnic,"

Annabelle hugged her Mom at the same time Sarah bent down to kiss her. Then we gathered together at the garage, Annabelle standing shyly next to me as we waved off her parents and Uncle. Aaron was in the driver's seat, Will next to him and Sarah sitting in the passenger cab.

We watched the garage doors silently close until it was time to head back inside. For the first time, I noticed Annabelle was holding my hand.

"So, Annie, "I gave her another playful grin. "Shall we go see Mr Pig or you wanna make smoothies?"

"Lemonade! We got lotsa lemons, " Annabelle piped up. "Oh can we feed Mr Pig carrots first? He's lonely,"

Lonely and hungry. I get it.

"and we can hop around with Mr Pig!"

Doing the bunny hop across the garden. This was gonna be interesting.

_Saturday, five-thirty p.m._

So bunnies can be cute and fluffy, er bunchy.

They do make good pets.

If you like slightly boring yet cute ones, that is.

All they ever do is make a series of hops around and eat.

I do have to admit that the bunny hop can be tiring.

As it got late, Annabelle retreated to her room to play. Her bedroom was every little girl's favorite. Pink flowery drapes, her favorite stuffed toys scattered around her bed. There was a sparkly pink and purple stuffed Pony among them. Sparkles, I guessed. Since I never really played with My Little Pony, I never knew all their names.

"Carly, look! " Annabelle held up a silver glitter nail polish. "Can we play teenager?"

Actually, Annabelle. We can play adult instead. Wait, that sounds so wrong.

I stepped further in to the room for a closer look and oops! There was a bit of crunching noise. I looked down to see a small greyish car. I had stepped on its tiny fender and it almost came off.

"Aww," Annabelle giggled. "You stepped on Jazz,"

But that wasn't the only one. There were other toy cars, er, vehicles across the room. A yellow and black striped one that reminded me of Sam's car, a red sports car that looked suspiciously like a Lamborghini and blue and white semi?

"Annie, you like playing with cars?" I asked in amazement. There weren't many little girls who played with toy trucks and cars. Maybe she was being influenced by her dad or another male relative. That's usually the case.

"Yeah!" Annabelle's expression seemed to light up. "Dad and Uncle Aaron play with me sometimes. We like to race them around... and the red one always loses," Annabelle giggled again.

I checked my watch. I had to prepare Annie's dinner in a few minutes. I gave her the chance to play teenager and she jumped in right away. Pretty soon, we were covered in curlers, messy glitter nail polish and even a pale pink gloss. She held up her own mirror for me to see the monster I had become.

"Pretty!"

I left Annabelle still quietly playing in her room to make her dinner. As I was in the kitchen scrubbing the nail polish off , another worry came to me: What if I was wrong in turning down Sarah's request for me to sleep overnight with Annabelle? Was she having a hard time finding last minute caretakers for the night or didn't she trust their relatives?

Get a grip, Carly I told myself. You're watching too many unsolved mysteries. Nothing is gonna happen.

Annabelle was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. I happened to pass by sliding glass doors that peeked out in the lawn when something caught my eye. Over the bunny hutch, there was an eerily shaped shadowy figure.

Huh? I stood there for like a few minutes, trying to figure out if my mind was playing tricks or some sort of an optical illusion in the dark. The shadow never moved, though so I started to breathe easy.

_Whir._

I stared down at the floor. It was the Roomba. Now I was slightly confused. Was this thing supposed to be on all day? The battery was going to die soon.

I bent down to look closely at the Roomba. I noticed tiny strobe lights running around it. It was still humming. I tried to find a switch and when I couldn't, tried to flip it over…

Almost immediately, a spark of electricity shot through my arm. I almost dropped it in surprise.

"Carly?" It was Annabelle's voice. "Carly? Did you see Sparkles?"

"Just a second, Annie, " I sighed. I must have touched something by accident. That or the roomba was overheating somewhat. I decided to give it up.

I soon found Sparkles the Pony amongst the clan of stuffed toys in her bedroom. It was nice to see all her toys that were on the floor neatly arranged in the boxes and drawers for a change. Sarah and Will are at least teaching their daughter well.

"Would you like a story, Annie?" I asked as I browsed the books that were lying around top of the drawer. Aside from the usual Dr. Seuss books, she had a complete Disney fairytale collection. "So how about –

_Crash._

I almost shrieked. Annabelle who was sitting up on her pillow, hugging her pony tightly suddenly had a look of fright. I gave her a reassuring look. "Wait here, Annie, " Probably a cat or something toppling over.

The crash came from where I was earlier so something … I stopped dead.

Half of the sliding glass was broken. Roomba the vacuum cleaner was repeatedly banging against the other parts. The humming sounded even more persistent. Cold fear snatched my throat. Someone was trying to break in.

I didn't try to call out. I turned and fled back to Annie's bedroom. I had to get her first then call the police –

Another Crash. I heard the glass break and shards flying. Then there was a ripping, growling noise. I caught sight of the figure standing on the broken glass.

It was the black shadowy figure. On all fours. Eyes glowing and staring right at me.

I froze.

Out of the blue, the Roomba skittered right across from me.

And the panther pounced.

"Carly!"

Annabelle came running out of the room and straight into my arms. I scooped her up. Now looking positively terrified, she was screaming and crying into my hair, "ROLLER! ROLLER! Come!"

I was almost afraid to look. My bag was in the kitchen where my cell phone was. If only I could reach the Lennoxes's wall phone in the family room –

The panther bounded towards me and its eyes seemed to lock on mine. Growling angrily again and again as Annabelle continued to cry silently.

My knees were starting to buckle. Instincts told me to run. But I couldn't move. I was trapped.

In one swift leap, we could be dead.

_Author's Note: All G1 bots will stick to their original paintjob save for Jazz, Ironhide and Ratchet. I've decided that their colors suit them anyway. _

_Annabelle in this chapter is somewhat dedicated to my cousin who's almost sixteen today. I can still remember the day she asked me, " Can we play teenager?"_


	3. Predator and Prey

_Do I still need a fraggin' disclaimer? Guess not._

_Oh yeah. Sorry for the delay. Life likes to throw a curveball, you know._

_Predator and Prey_

I felt like prey.

The panther reared, growling and baring its teeth at me as I soon found myself slowly backing away.

Don't run, half of my mind screamed. Images after image of wild-life documentaries flashed, a leopard pouncing on a gazelle from behind…

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the sound of the garage doors and the rumbling of an engine.

_Aaron!_

The enormous cat takes a sudden leap as I screamed. Annabelle's whimpers filled my ears as the enormous black cat went crashing against the Lennoxes's ornate bookshelvses . Books went flying, pottery pieces and crystal lava lamps breaking into a gazillion pieces along the way.

Immediately making a 90-degree turn, the panther leaps twice then rears up again. Now growling angrily at me from its perch at the top of the shelf, the animal seemed to be daring me to make a move.

That's when I heard something like a mini explosion go off.

"CARLY! ANNABELLE!"

Aaron's burly form seems to fill the doorway. His jaw set, his gaze immediately swept from me to the enormous cat.

"Run for it, Carly," Aaron advised, strangely calm.

Run? My chest heaving, I wanted to nod but the risk of the situation floored me. What was Aaron thinking? Going to try and collar this wild animal himself?

I didn't have time to think . This time the panther bounded towards me again and Aaron literally jumped to my defense, tackling the enormous cat around its belly. The air was suddenly pierced by a flurry of growls, hisses and yowls.

A minute ticked as I stared down desperately at the form of Aaron, pinned by the wild cat underneath. Yet Aaron was putting up a good fight whilst muttering some strangely drunken curses.

"- No uh- you pit-forsaken, bugger…"

What a dangerously stupid scenario.

"CARLY!"

I sprinted towards the kitchen, trying to ignore the wrestling match going on. Aaron! I couldn't believe what he'd just done.

I quickly pushed Annie into the small laundry room. "Its okay, Annie. Just stay still," I tried to console her.

My fingers were shaking as I pulled out my cellphone and dialed the number that first came to mind.

"911, What is your emergency?

Hastily, I repeated to her what was going on and requested for Animal Services. As I started to say that another adult was in the house trying to collar the animal, there was a series of noises like firecrackers.

Then came another like the sound of a gunshot.

I was so stunned for a minute I almost dropped the phone.

"Ma'am? Ma'am, are you okay?"

I almost brushed the operator off. I quickly explained to her that I needed to see to my companion, to see what had just happened.

I arrived just in time to see the black panther bounding away into the darkness. Back the way he came. Through the broken glass.

And in the middle of the room, an Aaron stood grimly, scratches and all. Then he saw me and a not so self-effacing grin came over his face.

"No fraggin' beast ever come back. Not if I can help it,"

_Lennox house, an hour later_

Animal Services did arrive several minutes later.

Aaron and I had to recount our experiences with the wild animal, starting with me of course. They wanted to know exactly what sort of animal it was so they could put up some sort dragnet to try and capture it. An aggressive animal straying into a residential area is an immediate red-flag opportunity for Animal Control.

One of the Animal agents confided to me that this was the first time they'd actually heard of a panther on the loose . Black panthers weren't native to the region, after all.

But I was so sure it was a black panther. Could I be mistaken?

Seeing our small cuts and bruises, they immediately dispatched an ambulance to the area. So here we are now, sitting in a brilliantly white room. For some reason, once the Doctor arrived, he was able to treat us all one after the other in the same room but separately.

"I Knew it, " Aaron was grumbling under his breath. "That fragging picket fence won't last against a couple of beasticons. Lucky it was alone,"

"A beasti-what? " I asked, wincing slightly as the ER doctor, introduced as Doctor Ratch checked my forearms for bruises or other cuts from broken glass. His last name makes me giggle for some reason. But so do a lot of foreign names.

Doc Ratch glanced at Aaron sharply. "Watch your language, Mister, "He appropriately placed an antiseptic pad over a small cut on my cheek that I hadn't noticed.

"the report indicates you had the temerity to nearly break the door down,"

"So the Lennoxes' fence destroyed, a rabbit is dead yet a kid and her babysitter are safe "Aaron snapped back. "and you're concerned about a slaggin' door?" I was feeling confused at Aaron's antagonism towards the Doctor. Ratch was just making comments based on what he knew of our situation. Also his curses didn't seem to make sense. He must have made them up. I should ask him about that.

I peeked around the curtain at Annabelle, seated on a couch opposite from our cubicle. She was so upset. I wonder for a moment if the experience had scarred her somewhat. Sarah's other sister, a sulky looking redhead sat very close to her and the two were sharing and comparing drawing pads that now displayed some very colorful drawings of what looked like dolphins and a field of flowers.

At least it helped put her mind at ease.

Annabelle should be in bed by now and fast asleep. I felt a little knot form in my stomach at the turn of events. But then again, it wasn't really my fault.

_I did protect Annabelle._

_And Aaron protected us, _I realized.

"You'll be fine, Carly, " Ratch gave me a reassuring smile . "Don't worry about Annabelle, she's completely unhurt, thanks to you,"

I sighed. " I wished I could have helped Aaron but a wild animal is just too dangerous to confront,"

"You did the right thing by not running or the animal would have thought of you as prey," The Doctor glanced at Aaron again. "until it was a distracted by a reckless noble man,"

_Ooh. Burn. This Doctor's got guts_. Aaron ignored him, however.

"I was once a Mexican bull-dodger, Carly, " Aaron gave a smug grin. "Yah, Just kidding. Spur of the moment decision, anyways. Wanted to protect you and Annie,"

"Well, thanks for being reckless, " I smiled. Will's brother was definitely a caring person. The Lennoxes' seem like a really tight family.

The doctor turned and bustled away. "Carly? I'll have the prescriptions ready and you can all go home,"

_Sunday afternoon, Tranquility time_

Mr. Pig was buried today.

It has been quite hard for Annabelle.

I'm not going to lie and say that my eyes never turned watery when Aaron started shoveling dirt on top of the small grave. I had only known the fatso bunny for a few hours yet the time spent bunny hopping with him I shall never forget.

The fence has been repaired since then. Aaron is still raging about it, though. It's the same material the previous fence was made of. I guess he wants an iron picket fence or something like it. The sliding glass doors have been replaced as well. Aaron's not satisfied with that either. But there's nothing he can do. Not yet. When Lennoxes' called early this morning and learned of the panther attack, they were understandably, worried but Will seemed to put his foot down on whatever security plan Aaron had in mind.

"Will, listen –" I was sitting on the family room sofa next Annabelle watching TV. Aaron's voice was unusually low yet I heard a few snatches when I was close enough. "Cons not gonna –"

Cons? A thought struck me. Didn't' Aaron say something beasticon something at the hospital? I'm pretty sure it was beasticon. Was it?

Maybe it was the shock of Mr. Pig's demise or the panther attack but Annabelle has been playing in her room more often. I stayed with her at all times as well as Aaron did. He visits have become more frequent ever since. It's making me feel more and more like, well, some teenage babysitter.

Yep, some teenage babysitter. Who apparently can't handle things by herself. Like wild animals.

But then again, who can really handle wild animals? Aside from trainers and animal control experts, I guess.

After the almost endless re-runs of Spongebob and other Cartoon Network shows, Annabelle started begging me and her Uncle Aaron to play race cars.

Race cars? With a little girl? Yep, you heard that right. Of course, Aaron and I jumped in right away. The cars were battery-operated and remote-controlled. Still it wasn't easy racing a semi-wheeler, though. Annabelle and Aaron easily won at different turns, using the yellow and black sports car as well as the red one.

Before I knew it, my babysitting shift ended. Aunt Alice was due to arrive soon and she and Aaron were supposed to take over for me.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, Annie," I wasn't supposed to babysit her on weekdays. The Lennoxes have arranged for their little girl to stay with her Uncle Aaron and Aunt Alice. But I've made her a promise we'd see each other at the mall. She wanted to check out some new toy with her Aunt and Uncle.

I smiled as I bent down and she hugged me instead. Aaron ushered me to the door with Annabelle.

"Take good care, Carly,"

I waved to Uncle and niece as I brought the car around. They were still standing, looking at me as I slowly passed the house out of sight.

It was still early evening so I decided to stop at the nearest gas station. Obviously, I could fill it up early tomorrow morning but that would be cutting it quite close. I'd rather not be stranded on the way to the placement office.

But as I veered off to make a turn towards the gas station, I noticed flashing red and blue lights in my rearview mirror.

_Crap. What'd I do now?_

_Author's Note: Dun, dun. The tide is coming. Things are about to get a little hairier for Carly or wouldn't it?_

_Now about holo-avatars. They don't represent gender the way humans are supposed to have. In TF lore, Cybertronians can choose and alter their gender however they want but they usually do it according to their immediate environment. Check out TF Wiki for more info.  
_


	4. Strange Captives

Ratings: T  
Category(ies): Adventure/Suspense  
Continuity: G1/Movieverse AU  
Summary: It's just another babysitting job for Carly. That is, until she meets Annabelle Lennox… and suddenly it's fat bunnies, abductions, alien robots and intergalactic wars.

_Authors Note: Hi Everyone Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the loooonng wait. Moving places and other stuff happened. Anyway, to answer questions. Carly is loosely based on G1 Carly not the DOTM. _

_I'm being liberal with this fic, taking some elements from the movies and G1. If you haven't seen G1, it's on youtube! It's cheesy like other 80's cartoons but the good kind of cheese especially if you're a TF fan!_

_Reviewer acknowledgments: Agent-Batman, MikaelaTheCat, Foxbear and Geek Girl. Than y'all!_

_Ch 4 Strange Captives  
_

Crap, crap I told myself. Not another round of tickets and...

To my relief, the patrol car speeded up and passed me by with the lights still flashing. I rolled right into the station, chiding myself for being so nervous. It wasn't even late but this particular gas station was closer to my route and tonight like other nights, it was almost empty.

But that wasn't strange.

Looking around as I got out of my car, I noticed a young black guy carrying what looked like a box of donuts out of the store. A guy who looked like he'd had one too many donuts heading for his dusty old minivan.

I put my credit card in and nothing happened. Frowning, I tried again Still nothing. Uh-oh. I hoped I didn't maxed out my card lately… I dug into my purse for my spare visa debit and tried again. Now that was strange.

Sighing, I found some spare cash and headed into the store.

There weren't any other customers in sight and the man behind the counter was busy cleaning up. He looked up as I approached, not looking the tiniest bit happy that he was going to be interrupted.

"Hi, " I said cheerily, " I, uhm, this is for tank number 5…"

Without a word, he took my cash and quickly punched out a receipt. He thrust it all back in my hands, "here,"

"Thank you, "I said, turning to leave. "and have a good night!"

The doors slid open and Mister Donut came jogging back in. He didn't look happy either. " Hey man, NO DONUTS! These are PRETZELS!" He flung the box on the counter and shoved it towards the clerk's face.

I shook my head, allowing myself to grin .Really, donuts for dinner –

"My apologies, mister uhm, Whitman? I would fix the mixup but under the circumstances…"

There was a sudden horrible feeling in my stomach. Something about the clerk's voice changed, eerily cold and robotic. And for some reason, I could feel donut guy breathing heavier than usual.

"I cannot allow both of you to leave,"

I wheeled around just as something heavy crashed. Donut guy had thrown a rack full of magazines at him. Bottles went flying as I shrieked and pounded against the automatic sliding doors. They wouldn't budge.

"DUCK!" Donut guy yelled. He reached for me with his other hand, furiously digging into his pockets with the other. The "clerk" jumped over the counter with amazing inhuman ability and as he hurtled towards me, I screamed and chucked another round of boxes at him. He fizzled out of sight like some strange apparition.

Zzzzttt… I screamed again as the lights went out and the glass doors blackened. The store was now plunged in total darkness.

Except for the little light coming from Donut guy's hand. His cellphone, maybe? "Where is he –" I quivered.

A voice out of the darkness answered my question. "Now Miss Miller, Mister Whitman nobody has to get hurt. All I need are a few answers and maybe, just maybe one of you will be set free,"

"And the other one?!" Donut guy spat.

Even in the darkness, I can imagine our captor's crafty villainous grin. "Oh I wouldn't say he or she has to be put down. But rest assured that one of you will be rewarded handsomely for assisting us in our Search,"

"As if we've ever help Decepti-creeps, " my companion muttered although I could feel him trembling slightly.

I felt the pit in my stomach getting deeper and deeper. I was trying my best not to panic but I knew I had to try and stay alive.

I had no clue who this sub-human criminal was but whatever Search he was talking about, I wanted no part of it.

If I get the choice.

Wait, the cops! There was bound to be another one patrolling the vicinity or maybe someone would call 911.

So I started screaming again. As loud as I could.

That same night, in Tranquility plaza

Bumblebee was worried, if not annoyed. Since the events of Mission City, the Decepticons have managed to retaliate only twice in several months. Under the command of a more annoying, cockier Starscream, who seemed to have it programmed in his processors that each time the Decepticons try out a new plan of attack or steal something from the humans, the battle should take place elsewhere.

It was fortunate that in all of the previous battles, the humans have managed to try and keep the body count to a minimum with their help and notwithstanding any fuss from the SecDef.

A familiar sound of engine sidled up to him. "Bee! Check out my new wax! –"

Sunstreaker. Why couldn't Prowl have assigned Mirage instead or Bluestreak?

Okay, maybe not Bluestreak. But Mirage wasn't usually assigned for "squishy-sitting" duties as Sideswipe called it."

And speaking of the red lambo. "You nearly gave Mikaela a heatstroke today! Drive to the car wash next time, fragger,"

"And get ripped out by Prowly for spending the squishies" budget?" Sunstreaker sounded unbelievably perturbed . "And driving in the dust for miles and miles and waiting hours for my wax? No way, you Pit-forsaken reject. Besides, Mikaela washes Prime occasionally,"

Now this one Bumblebee couldn't resist. " Sunstreaker, you sure you're not giving Mikaela some edge over you?"

"Ha! That's nice Coming from you, Bumbles, "The yellow Lamborghini mimicked Sam's teasing use of the new nickname. It wasn't used very often as Sam reserved it for occasions when he needed to get even with his favorite ride. " I see Sam sweating it out on your weekly carwashes and waxes, " Sunstreaker ended on a confidently smug tone.

Something interrupted Bumblebee from retorting. His dashboard indicated an incoming internal communications. The yellow scout opened the channel. It was coming from an old friend's residence.

He allowed the voice to reverberate off his interiors.

"Bumblebee?" The yellow scout was suddenly glad to hear the female's accent. Anything aside from the lambo twins was a relief. "Hey, is Sam at his house tonight or is he with you?"

"Sam's with me, " Bumblebee replied. Maggie and Glen had been working overtime on the research on the Book . "Just picking up something for his Mom's headache,"

"Ohh," Maggie seemed slightly concerned. "I hope she's not getting migraines or anything,"

The yellow scout almost chuckled. "Nothing escapes the Doc. She'll get checked up on Doc's orders first thing in the morning," Privately, Bumblebee wished that Ratchet would not have to resort to sedation. Judy Witwicky tended to be a a very stubborn, high strung woman when she disliked things . And Ratchet, well, despite his mild demeanor was known for drastic things to get his patients to cooperate.

"She'll be fine then, " Bumblebee somehow knew Maggie smiled into the phone. "Listen, Bee, I know you guys have the best encryption but I'm not so sure my line is up to par. So can you just let Sam know we'll be over first thing in the morning for breakfast? "

Bumblebee sensed that it could be a breakthrough they were waiting for but the scout replied lightheartedly "I will, Maggie and the food?"

This time Maggie did chuckle. "Tell Judy not to prepare anything. Glen's - " There was a muffled hiss before Maggie's voice crackled away amidst a new wave of urgent static .

"213 East Street, all available units…" Bumblebee felt his intake valves lurch for some reason. Something bad was happening if Prowl was broadcasting his dispatch to the other Autobots.

On either side of him, the two red and yellow Lamborghinis had started up their engines. Sideswipe pulling ahead, Sunstreaker catching up quickly behind his twin. There were no words to be said except "I'll get Sam, "

He was Sam's guardian first and foremost. He had to carry Sam away to safety as soon as possible.

Back at the station

"Stay still human," The eerie robotic voice ordered, "All this screaming and struggling won't do you any good. It might just drain of your precious energy which – " The flickering form of our tormentor glowed in the darkness. "just might hasten your disposal,"

He was right. And I hated it. I was shivering not from cold but from rage and fear. "Who – what the hell are you?"

"Some giant alien robot bastard, " My fellow captive and new friend Glen glared.

Giant alien what? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But I was too anxious to focus on anything except our metallic rope-like bonds and clamps that fastened our ankles and wrists against the wall.

"Tut, the female human is finally gaining a wonderful intuition, " Our captor's eyes blazed a red glow. I steeled myself as he leaned closer to our faces. "Unfortunate it is that we can't have a proper introduction right now. But I expect you'll know everything as soon as this is all over…"

"The Autobots…" Glen grunted.

"are not coming. I have a nice little party planned for them right now and your fellow humans?" He gave a hollow metallic laugh or what sounded like one. "Human authorities, human technology so easy to thwart and ridicule,"

"Now why don't we get down to business? The quicker you answer, the quicker you get freed,"

"Decepti-creeps honor!" Glen snorted.

"Hard to do seeing as you're likely to squeeze us to death first!" I snapped. The bonds were so tight.

The bonds did not loosen but I felt a spindly thing on the side of my cheek. "Now, now Miss Miller. The Doctor says to calm down. This won't hurt a bit_,"_

_Author's Note: But don't worry, Carly has some of the worst and best luck in the world. But if you've noticed, this isn't exactly mute Bumblebee._

_Btw, please check out the first chapter since updated the Author's notes regarding the timeline._

_._


End file.
